Oct.14 (GMM) Toyota has “no plans” to purchase or arrange a Formulation 1 crew or construct an influence unit.
That’s the insistence of Masaya Kaji, director of Toyota Gazoo, which shocked the F1 world final week by saying a brand new technical and operational relationship with Haas.
On the announcement occasion was Akio Toyoda, chairman of Toyota Motor Company – ramping up hypothesis that the Gazoo deal could possibly be a precursor to the Japanese big’s full return to Formulation 1.
Toyoda insisted: “I don’t need the headlines to be ‘Toyota is lastly returning to F1’. As an alternative, we wish to see headlines that encourage Japanese kids to dream of the likelihood that they too may sooner or later drive the quickest vehicles on the planet.”
Toyoda, grandson of Toyota founder Kiichiro Toyoda, admits he was the one who made the choice to drag the carmaker’s Cologne based mostly works crew out of F1 on the finish of 2009.
“I’ve now reached a sure age and at last develop into an peculiar man who loves racing vehicles once more,” the 68-year-old smiled. “I believe deep down, this man at all times regretted that due to our withdrawal from Formulation 1, younger Japanese drivers have been disadvantaged of a chance.”
Sources report that Ayao Komatsu, Haas’ new crew boss, was the important thing to the Toyota-Haas deal. Chairman Toyoda admits he immediately received alongside along with his fellow Japanese.
“However I don’t suppose that the explanation we have been capable of speak like it is because Mr Komatsu is Japanese,” he insisted. “If I’ll say so boldly, I believe we had one thing in frequent in that we’re each preventing on the world stage.”
Though Ferrari will nonetheless provide Haas with engines and gearboxes, the small American crew could have entry to Toyota’s Cologne F1 manufacturing facility, element manufacturing capacity, simulators, and personnel help for a brand new testing of earlier F1 vehicles (TPC) program.
Komatsu clarified: “Ferrari despatched sure necessities the place I needed to assure them this, this and this. However that’s what we have been going to do anyway.
“The Ferrari-Haas relationship continues to be the muse. In the event that they thought this Toyota-Haas alliance was going to be a menace to them, it wasn’t going to work.”
Toyota motorsport boss Masaya Kaji insists: “We’ve got no plans to have a crew. Nor are we planning to supply the provision of an influence unit right now.
“We’ve got spoken to a number of groups and we have now a relationship with McLaren, however, in actuality, Haas and Komatsu-san are the most effective companions as a result of our scope is precisely the identical and we will strengthen the crew collectively. Our strengths and weaknesses match collectively completely,” he added.
In the meantime, former Toyota F1 driver Ralf Schumacher advised Sport1: “For me, the partnership with Toyota is a transparent signal that Haas is on the market.”
He additionally advised Sky Deutschland: “This could possibly be the subsequent step in the direction of a giant crew. Toyota was already rumoured to be near getting again into it, however the groups have been too costly.
“Formulation 1 is creating extremely,” mentioned the German. “It has develop into a money cow. You earn a hell of some huge cash worldwide. And Toyota’s picture hasn’t been significantly good not too long ago.”
